Neutron Star Collision
by hotforteacher
Summary: Beverly's long lost niece and a new Ensign, that is reminiscent of Captain Picard when he was young, comes onto the Enterprise. They will stir up memories and possibly feelings between the Captain and his CMO. A very fluffy P/C piece! :D
1. Chapter 1

**Hi there! First off, sorry to those people who were looking for a new 'Lie to Me' story! I've had this on the back burner for a while. Sorry ahead of time if I got the lingo wrong! Either shoot me a message or review! :D Hope ya'll like! Don't own a thing!**

**The title is thanks to Muse! They are absolutely brilliant! Don't own that either!**

**Warning: Extreme marshmallow fluffiness ahead! :P**

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The Enterprise was on its way to Starbase 249. Its crew was in their usual morning briefing. Geordi LaForge was going over the repairs the ship needed. After he was done, Captain Jean Luc Picard looked around the room and said, "Now we will be taking on new passengers and crew."

Beverly perked up and happily said, "Yes, my niece is coming aboard. I am very excited for you to meet her. This will actually be my first time meeting her myself."

Will Riker piped up, "Well, I hope she has the Howard gene. I could only imagine a younger version of Beverly running around here." He grinned as Deeana reached over and smacked his arm.

The Captain quickly said, "Dismissed," and got up from his chair. The rest followed and walked out the doors. He quickly called Beverly back. "Now, since we are receiving new crew, I will need their physicals done and turned into me by 1200 tomorrow. I want to make sure they can start by then."

She smiled, "I have got it under control, Captain. In fact I have been reviewing over their medical logs and Starfleet information. I should have everything ready for you by tomorrow."

Jean Luc gave her one of his rare smiles and said, "Thank you, Beverly. I know we have both been very busy these past couple of months. How about we meet for breakfast tomorrow morning, before the new crew and your niece come aboard?"

Beverly lightly touched his shoulder and said, "That would be lovely. Hopefully this time I won't be pulled for anything. I have found that I miss having breakfast with you." She smiled at him and walked out of the room.

Jean Luc stood there for a moment not realizing that she had left. He was finally pushed out of his reverie when Riker called through his communication badge, "Riker to Picard."

He tapped it and simply said, "Picard here, what is it Number One?"

"Sir, we are about to dock onto Starbase 249. They will need your security code."

Jean Luc nodded and said, "I will be there in a moment. Picard out."

.:.

The next morning, Beverly stood in her niece's new quarters. She looked around and made sure everything was set for when her niece arrived. She bit her lip, hoping everything was perfect. She looked at the computer's clock, it was past 0800. She was supposed to meet up with Jean Luc at that time. She whispered, "Damn," and briskly walked out of the room. Just as the turbolift doors opened, she nearly ran into Riker.

He smiled at her and asked, "In a hurry this morning, Doc?"

Beverly smiled right back at him and said, "Yes, I have a meeting that started at 0800."

Riker jovially bounced on the balls of his feet and said, "Mmm-Hmm. Have you looked at all of the new crew members files?"

"Very briefly, mainly their medical files. Why?"

Riker shrugged his shoulders, "Deeana and I were going over them last night and one of them caught our eye. He reminded us of someone we all know."

Beverly grinned, "Yes, Ensign Rowels, I saw that too! Graduated top 5 of his class, had a knack of getting himself into trouble and came in 2nd place in the Academy marathon his freshman year."

"That's the one. Now who does it remind you of?"

Beverly feigned innocence, "I haven't the faintest idea, but once I do, I will be sure to tell you." The turbolift opened at that precise moment and she left, giving Riker a wink. She walked down the corridor till she got to Jean Luc's quarters. She rang the chimes and waited for an answer.

"Come."

The door opened and Beverly stepped in, "Jean Luc, I'm sorry I'm late. I was making sure Natalie's room was ready when she comes aboard later on." She sat down at the table and started to butter her croissant.

Jean Luc took a sip from his tea and said, "Not a problem, I was just going over the files of our new officers."

Beverly bit her lip, "Oh really, does anyone stand out?"

Jean Luc looked up and shook his head. "No, not that I remember. Why do you ask?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Just wondering."

"So, what time is your niece coming aboard?"

"In less than an hour. Jean Luc, I'm really nervous. What is she doesn't take a liking to me?"

Jean Luc placed his and on hers, "I would not worry about it, she will like you. How did you find out about her?"

"Well, a couple years ago I got a communication from a distant cousin. We stayed in contact until she died about three weeks ago. She had Hybrid Tau Disease, which affects human bones. I recommended her to a specialist, but it was too late. She had a daughter with her late husband, her name is Natalie." She took her PADD out from her lab coat pocket and brought up a picture of Natalie. "Here she is. This is a school picture." She handed it over to Jean Luc.

He almost choked on his croissant. "Beverly, she looks exactly like you. I thought you were the last to inherit the Howard gene?"

She shrugged her shoulder and took a sip of her tea. "It seems that I am not. Believe me Jean Luc, it surprised me to. I'm more concerned for her though."

He crinkled his forehead, "Why is that?"

Beverly shuddered, "Growing up with the Howard gene, it's not too pretty. It's like having growing pains. I can remember what it was like when I was growing up. I had mood swings, rebellion, and a sexual drive that could knock a 21st Century pimp to his knees."

Jean Luc was fighting to keep a grin off of his face, "Well I can't be all that bad."

Beverly just shook her head, "Oh, it was bad. And stop grinning like that." She was scorning him, but she blushed at the same time.

Jean Luc took a sip from his tea, "So, do you still have these growing pains?"

"Sickbay to Dr. Crusher."

Beverly tapped her communicator, "Dr. Crusher here."

"Sir, the new officers are starting to come in for their physicals."

Beverly sighed, "Okay, I will be there shortly. Crusher out." She tapped her communicator and then looked at Jean Luc. "I thought they weren't supposed to come for another 2 hours."

Jean Luc took their dirty dishes away from the table. "Well, you know Starfleet, they thrive to change orders."

"Jean Luc, what am I going to do with Natalie? When she comes aboard, I'll be in Sickbay."

He patted her on the back, "Why don't I greet her in the transporter room and then take her to Sickbay."

Beverly stood up and started walking towards the door. "Oh Jean Luc, that would be wonderful. Thank you so much." The door slid open and Beverly was almost out of the room when she popped her head back and quietly said, "The mood swings and rebellion have stopped, but the sex drive is still in full swing." She winked at him then made her way to Sickbay.

She left Jean Luc with a big grin on his face. He quickly replaced it with a scowl before moving out into the corridor.

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**Next chapter, you get to meet Beverly's niece!**

**Review! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all of the support!**

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By the time Jean Luc walked into the transporter room, most of the personnel had beamed aboard. The transporter chief looked over at the captain and said, "Sir, one more to beam aboard." Jean Luc just gave him a silent nod and the chief beamed the person on board.

At first he couldn't believe it; she looked more like Beverly in person than in the picture. She was dressed in civilian clothes; a pair of shorts, a polo shirt and big sunglasses covering half of her face. Her red hair seemed to glow, just like Beverly's. He stepped forward and said, "Welcome Natalie, my name is Jean Luc Picard, I am the captain of this ship."

She stepped down from the pad and held out her hand, "How do you do?" They shook hands. "My aunt was supposed to meet me here, where is she?"

He placed his hands by his side and said, "Well she had to go to Sickbay. If you will allow me, I can take you there."

"Thank you Jean Luc." He was surprised how seamlessly she called him by his first name. Showing her the way out, they started walking towards the turbolift. Once inside, she turned to him and asked, "I hope you don't mind me calling you Jean Luc. Or would you prefer me to call you Captain?"

"For the sake of my duties on this ship, I would prefer if you called me Captain."

"Alright Captain, but I must let you know, my Aunt Beverly calls you Jean Luc all the time in her messages. In fact I didn't know your last name was Picard." She smiled at him.

He smiled back, it was infectious. "Would you like for me to call you Natalie?"

She nodded, "That would be lovely. My grandmother on my father's side was named Natalie. She was a beautiful lady."

They let a moment pass in silence and then Jean Luc noticed that she hadn't take off her sunglasses yet. "Natalie, you are not in the sun anymore, you can take those glasses off."

Natalie bit her lip, "Well, Captain, I'm going to leave them on. I'm slowly getting used to the light and they are pretty cool. Don't you think?" She gave him a dazzling smile. He just gave her an awkward smile back.

Soon they were off of the turbolift and walking into Sickbay. When they walked in, Beverly was talking with one of the new crewman coming aboard the Enterprise. They walked over as Beverly turned around. She looked over to Natalie and offered a smile. "Natalie, it is so nice to finally see you." They hugged each other. "I just wish it was under better circumstances."

Natalie smiled bravely, "I'm glad you decided to take me in. You don't understand how much this changes my life for the better."

Beverly fixed a lock of Natalie's hair that was out of place. "Well, we can talk more after my duty in Sickbay is finished for the day." She turned back to her patient, who just like Jean Luc had his arms crossed over his chest and looking at something interesting on the wall. They almost looked like twins, with the exception of age and the lack of hair. She turned back to her niece who was oddly staring at Ensign David Rowels. "Ensign Rowels, you are clear for duty." He got up from the biobed and walked over to where Natalie was. Beverly turned to the Captain and said, "Sir, why don't you show where the Ensign will be working?"

Jean Luc looked hesitant, but he didn't have time to answer. Ensign Rowels and Natalie were starting to have a heated argument. He was trying to reach for her glasses, but she swiped his hand away. "Come on Natalie, just take off those silly glasses and let me see."

She swiped his hand away again, "No, just leave me alone. It's none of you bloody business."

The Captain had to put a stop to this now, "Ensign Rowels, you speak one more word to her and I will have you transferred off of this ship immediately. Do I make myself clear?"

The Ensign stood in attention and said, "Yes, sir." He waited for a few seconds and then brazenly said, "But sir, if you have her take off those glasses, you'll see what has happened."

Beverly took her cue, "Natalie, please take them off."

She slumped her shoulders in defeat and took off the glasses. Underneath them laid a black and blue bruise around her eye. Before anyone could say anything else, David went up to her and said, "He did this, didn't he?" He didn't have to wait for an answer when he stormed out of Sickbay yelling, "I'm going to kill him."

Natalie ran up to the Captain and grabbed his shirt, "Please, don't let him get off this ship. He is going to go after the guy who did this. His time in Starfleet will be over before it even got started."

Jean Luc tapped his communicator, "Picard to Lieutenant Worf."

"Worf here, sir."

"Lieutenant, disengage all transporter pads from transporting, and give me the whereabouts of Ensign Rowels."

"Sir, I have disengaged all transporters and Ensign Rowels is on deck 47 en route to transporter room 4. Sir, would you like me to send a security team to intercept him?"

"That's a negative Mr. Worf. Just make sure Ensign Rowels is taken to my ready room. Stand by for my orders. Picard out." He tapped his communicator and then turned to Natalie.

She was sitting on a biobed with Beverly healing her bruise. She held her hand out and grasped onto Jean Luc's arm. "Thank you Captain."

Jean Luc looked over her bruise, "Natalie, who did this to you?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Just an old boyfriend. He is out of my life now, so no need to worry about him."

Beverly put her medical instrument down and said, "That's the best I can do. It's still going hurt but the rest of the bruise will go away within a couple of days." She took a deep breath and said, "Natalie, this guy should not be hitting you. He should be taken into custody before he hurts another person. Who is he?"

She stood up angrily and yelled, "Don't worry about it; it's none of you damn business." Then she stormed out of Sickbay.

Beverly looked down, "Damn! I knew she would have everything the Howard gene offered."

Jean Luc was about to place a hand over her shoulder but decided against it for the fact that they were in a public place. "Well maybe Ensign Rowels will have some answers." He briefly smiled at her and then walked out.

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**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! Wanted to let ya'll know that Natalie is a senior in high school. **

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Jean Luc stepped off onto the main bridge and looked towards Lieutenant Worf. "Lieutenant, is Ensign Rowels in my ready room?"

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you." He walked down the plank and said without turning his head, "You still have the bridge Number One."

"Aye, sir." Riker looked back to Worf, "Very interesting turn of events here."

"Very, Sir." Worf then went back to his duty.

Ensign Rowels was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. He stood up in attention when the Captain walked in. He bowed his head like he was ashamed, "Sir, I am sorry for my earlier behavior in Sickbay, sir. I disregarded a direct command and I should be placed in the brig."

Jean Luc went around his desk and sat in his chair. "Ad ease, ensign. I didn't ask you here for your resignation."

David looked up in surprise, "You didn't, sir?"

"No, on the contrary, I commend you for what you showed. I have no tolerance for a man to hit any woman and I would have done the same thing." He added in a whisper, "In fact I have done that before and believe me when I say that the woman, whose honor I was defending, found out, and cursed at me so fast that it made my head swim."

The ensign grinned, "She must be some kind of woman."

Jean Luc grinned back, "She is, to this day." He coughed and offered David a seat in a chair across from his desk. David sat down. "Now Ensign Rowels, I believe you have information on this man who did this."

David's forehead wrinkled, "Well I don't know a lot about him except for his first name, Jonathon. He came with her to Starbase 249. The day before, they were arguing and he was about to hit her. Thankfully I was close enough to stop him. I haven't seen him since then."

"And what about Natalie?"

"Well, sir, after I had that man escorted out, she thanked me and said something I would never forget; 'You may have won the battle but he will still come after his prize artifact. You only stopped him for a couple of hours.' After she said that, I made sure that she was never by herself. He must have hurt her when I beamed aboard this morning; that bloody bastard!" He slammed his fist on his knee. He looked over to the Captain and quietly said, "Sorry Captain for my outburst."

Jean Luc held up his hand, "Like I said before, I would have done the same thing, Ensign. Thank you for giving me this information. I will make sure to pass it along to the right authorities." He stood up and held out his hand, "Ensign, welcome aboard the Enterprise."

David took his hand and shook, "Thank you, sir."

Jean Luc walked around his desk and out of his ready room with David following. "Commander Riker, could you please find a position for this office. I believe the bridge or engineering would be suitable."

Riker nodded and pointed to the helm control, "We have an opening at helm control."

David quietly said thank you and then took his seat at helm.

Jean Luc sat in his chair and stated, "Ensign Rowels, put in a new heading to the Clow System at warp factor 3."

"Aye, sir. Clow System at warp factor 3."

Jean Luc sat back in his chair and said, "Engage."

.:.

Beverly walked into her quarters exhausted. She knew she would have to talk with Natalie but at the time she needed a little breather.

Then her communicator chirped, "Picard to Dr. Crusher."

She tapped it, "Crusher here, what can I do for you captain?"

"Many things, Doctor." He paused while she grinned. Lately their friendship was easing in to a comfortable place. "I have some news on a certain red-head that caused a scene in your Sickbay. If it's alright with you, I can come by your quarters and talk to you about it."

"That won't be a problem, Captain. Crusher out." She hurried over to a mirror and quickly decided to put her hair up. Then she looked over her quarters. Thankfully she tidied it just the other day, so for the most part it was clean. Just as she was placing her PADDs on her desk, the door gave a little chime. "Come in."

Natalie walked in looking around for her aunt. She smiled when she saw the confused expression on Beverly's face. "Were you expecting someone else? Maybe a certain captain?"

Beverly shooed her comment away, "Nope, just cleaning up a bit. I hope you are here to discuss what happened in Sickbay earlier."

Natalie looked down in shame and then nodded her head. "I'm sorry about what happened but I didn't want everyone to know my business. And quite frankly, I'm embarrassed that someone not only bruised my face but my Howard ego." Both women grinned at each other. "What's worse is that David… I mean Ensign Rowels decides to take it upon himself to be my savior."

"Well to be honest, I'm glad someone stuck up for you. Even with these damn Howard egos, we can be vulnerable at times." Beverly's eyes glistened over from a memory that shot into her mind. Once she realized what her face was showing, she looked away.

Natalie caught it, "Aunt Beverly, did someone hurt you like Jonathan did to me?"

She tried to turn the tables back on her niece, "So that's the guy's name? What's his last name?" She prayed Natalie fell for it.

She didn't, "I promise you Aunt Beverly that I will tell you everything you need to know but can you tell me what happened to you first?"

Beverly started to fidget with her fingernails. She was about to say something when the door chimed. She let out a breath she didn't know she was saving. "Come in."

Jean Luc charged through the door and smiled when he saw Natalie. "Well, good evening Natalie. I hope the day has treated you better than the morning."

Natalie looked over to her aunt and grinned. Then she looked over to the captain and said, "Yes, the day has certainly been better. It's funny; my Aunt Beverly never mentioned that you were coming over. Why don't you join us for supper?"

Jean Luc smiled, but Beverly knew he was very uncomfortable. She placed her hand on Natalie and said, "Natalie, why don't you go back to your quarters. When the Captain and I are finished talking, I'll come over and we can have dinner and a little chat."

"Aunt Beverly, I am not a child you know. You don't have to shoo me away when 'grown-ups' have to talk; especially if it's about me."

Jean Luc just stared and grinned. _My how these two are alike._

Both women noticed and yelled at the same time, "What?"

At first he was caught off guard, but then said, "How about we have dinner here and we can talk about your situation with this Jonathon character."

Natalie squinted her eyes, "How did you know his name?" She held up her hand, "You know what, let me guess. A certain nosy ensign told you everything. Am I warm or cold?"

"Warm." He knew where this was heading.

She slapped her hand on her knee, "I knew it, that nosy fink! He just couldn't keep his nose out of my life. What a jerk!"

Beverly squeezed her niece's hand but looked at Jean Luc. "He was acting under the best interest for you. Take it as it is and thank him. He didn't have to do anything, but he did. Besides, you never know, you might become friends with him." Jean Luc and Beverly shared a smile between each other.

Natalie looked between them, "Aunt Beverly, how did you meet Captain Picard?"

That seemed to awaken Beverly out of her reverie, "That's neither here nor there, what matters the most is who did this to you. Now, you wanted to be treated like an adult, then act like one. Tell us what happened."

Natalie slowly sighed, "Well, I have been dating this guy, Jonathan Riva for about a year. At first, he was the perfect gentleman and then he started getting angrier and angrier. A month ago, he hit me across my face. He apologized profusely and told me that it would never happen again. I... I forgave him. I thought that I was in love with him. Then it happened again, so I broke up with him. That's around the time mom died and you told me that I could stay with you on the Enterprise. So I told him goodbye, packed my bags and took the next ship out. I guess he followed me because I saw him at Starbase 249. He told me that he was sorry and that he wanted me back. I told him that I hated his guts. I don't think he like that too much because he was about to slap me. Then Ensign Rowels came in to save the day."

"You know as an officer of Starfleet, he is sworn to help any bystanders in need of help." Jean Luc said softly.

Natalie replied back sarcastically, "What a knight in shiny tin foil!"

Beverly chimed in, "Natalie, that is no way to talk to the Captain."

"Sorry, well anyways Ensign Rowels followed me around until I guess he came aboard the ship. I was in my room, getting everything ready and Jonathon comes in asking me to take him back. Then he just flat out hits me." Natalie takes a sigh. "So, there's the story. Can we eat now? I'm starving."

Jean Luc and Beverly looked at each other, satisfied with her story. Beverly got up and said, "Okay, let's get supper ready."

.:.

After eating dinner, Natalie wanted to hear some stories of where the Enterprise had gone. Jean Luc was telling her about one of their missions when Beverly looked at her clock. She gasped, "Oh my, look at the time. I have to be on duty in 6 hours." She quickly got up.

Jean Luc said sheepishly, "I'm sorry, Doctor. I didn't realize what time it is." He slowly got up from his seat on the couch. "I won't keep you from getting some sleep."

"Damn, I wanted to know what happened to that Ferengi." Natalie slowly got up.

Beverly thought for a second. "Well it's okay for you to stay out here and talk but I have got to get some sleep."

"Nonsense Beverly, Natalie will just have to wait to hear what happens next. God knows we waited days." He walked up to her and gave her one of his charming smiles. "Thank you again for dinner. I shall see you at 0900." Beverly nodded and smiled gratefully. He looked at Natalie and said, "I promise I will tell the rest of the story tomorrow. Good night ladies." He walked out of the door.

Natalie rushed up to Beverly, gave her a quick peck on the cheek and said, "I will see you tomorrow Aunt Bev. I have to know what happened." She raced towards the door.

Before she reached it, Beverly shouted, "Don't forget to come see me in Sickbay tomorrow at 1100 hours."

"Will do, good night." And like that, she was gone in a flash. Beverly chuckled as she made her way towards her bed.

Jean Luc was almost at the turbolift when he heard Natalie yell, "Captain, wait up!"

He turned around and said, "I thought I told you we would finish the story tomorrow."

Natalie finally caught up and was catching her breath. "I know and that's fine but I wanted to ask you a question about my aunt."

The turbolift opened and Jean Luc stepped aside to let Natalie go in first. "One question and one question only, I'm afraid. Like your aunt, I have to be on duty in six hours and I still have two reports I have to read. Deck 7."

"Okay, how did you and my Aunt Beverly meet?"

Jean Luc started to get nervous. He was looking everywhere else but at Natalie. "Well… umm… shouldn't you ask you aunt about that?"

Natalie started to grin, "For a diplomat you are not so well spoken when it comes to my Aunt Beverly. I learned from school that you should never answer a question with another question." She leaned in closer, "Or does the thought of my aunt get you all tongue tie?" Jean Luc's ears started to turn a slight shade of pink. He coughed and tugged at the hem of his uniform. Natalie let out a robust laugh. "I would say by the way you are not saying anything that you are a little smitten with my aunt."

Thankfully the tubrolift opened to deck 7. "Well, Natalie, have a good night."

Jean Luc was half way out the door when Natalie blurted out, "My Aunt Beverly is very smitten with you too." Jean Luc turned around with shock all over his face. As a true diplomat, though, he covered it quickly; but not before Natalie could see. "I would love to hear the story of how you two meet. Maybe within the next couple of days? Maybe when you tell the rest of the story with the Ferengi?" The tubolift closed before Jean Luc could say anything to the matter.

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**Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Thanks for all of the support with this story! Your feedback is highly appreciated! Now I don't know if I got the technical lingo down, so sorry in advanced! Again, if you drop me a line or review, I can change it ASAP! Thanks again! :D**

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"Sir, we are orbiting the planet Flotim." David turned back to his controls.

"Keep orbiting, Ensign Rowels." He turned to Data, who was at ops. "Mr. Data can you tell us anything about this planet?"

"Of course, sir. Flotim is the third planet in the Clow System. It is an M-class planet with a gross population of vegetation life. Starfleet has been looking closely at this planet for a Starbase, for its close distance to the Neutral Zone with the Romulans."

"How close are we to the Neutral Zone?"

"Approximately 61,069,776.768 meters, Sir."

"And how long will it take to reach the Neutral Zone from here?"

"At warp 4, Sir, 2 hours, 56 minutes and 33 seconds."

"Thank you Mr. Data." The Captain turned to Riker. "Have you assembled your away team, Number One?"

"Almost, Sir, permission to bring along Ensign Rowels?"

The Captain thought for a moment and then said, "Permission granted." Ensign Rowels, Riker, Data stood up and walked to the turbolift. Worf joined them from his tactical station. "Oh, and Number One," Riker stopped before entering onto the turbolift, "be careful."

"Aye, Sir, no black eyes here, Transporter Room 5." Riker's face lit up with his boyish grin while Ensign Rowels face reddened.

The doors closed. Data in his ever increasing pondering of human life asked, "Question Sir, do you foresee this mission to be dangerous or are you simply making a joke against Ensign Rowels from his act yesterday in his relation to Doctor Crusher's niece, Natalie?" David's face reddened even more as Riker chuckled. "Hmm, I'm going to assume from the way Ensign Rowels' face is turning red that you are joking with him."

Worf spoke up, "I am proud of the fact that Ensign Rowels stood up against a lesser, more dishonorable man to protect a woman. It is very honorable."

"Very honorable indeed, she won't even talk to me." David looked around; he didn't know he spoke out. "I'm sorry, Sirs, I didn't know I was speaking out of turn."

Riker clapped him on his back, "No worries, Ensign, she'll come around to you one of these days."

"Sir, is my assumption correct when I say you are speaking of Dr. Crusher's niece, Natalie?"

"Yes, Data, your assumption is correct." The four left to Turbolift towards to transporter room.

.:.

"But Aunt Beverly, why do I have to work here? Why can't I work in the bar 10-Forward? I know how to serve drinks and talk to people." Natalie was following Beverly around in Sickbay.

"Let me ask you one question?" Beverly stopped what she was doing and turned to look at Natalie. "Where did you meet this Jonathan Riva?"

Natalie flushed, "Okay, point well taken but the Enterprise would never have creeps like Jonathon walking around. Jean Luc… I mean Captain Picard would never allow such a thing, would he?"

"Never, but I still would like to have you close by. Plus just a minute ago you were real nice to the patient in the other room. I could really use your help. You're a beautiful girl with a big heart. People will open up to you and not to mention, the help is needed."

Natalie thought for a moment, "I'll help down here if you tell me how you and Captain America met."

"I'm not going to tell you—" She was interrupted by her communicator.

"Doctor Crusher, be advised the away team is beaming directly to Sickbay."

"We are ready for them, Crusher out." The away team beamed into the Sickbay. Beverly ran to them at once. She looked over at Riker, who seemed to be okay. Then she looked over to Worf, who had a nasty gash on his head and right arm. Data was holding a man, who was badly torn up.

Natalie came up behind her aunt and whispered, "Oh my God, that's David. Is he going to be alright?"

"Get him to the bed so that I can have a full look at him. Worf, I need you to go to the bed right next to him and no, there will be no arguing with me. I want to patch you up before I can send you on your way."

Worf was about to argue, but then saw that she immediately started to work on David. "Yes, Doctor."

Beverly turned to Riker, "Will, what happened?"

"We were exploring the planet below, when something grabbed Ensign Rowels. We were separated but he was with Mr. Worf here."

Beverly started to seal the wounds and check his body for poison. "What caught him down there?"

"I believe it was a Tomtak plant. I have only seen one, but seeing one is all I need. They look like harmless plants but if you touch it, it attacks you. I was the one who activated the plant." He looked down in shame. "It barely grabbed my arm when Ensign Rowels pushed me out of the way. He took the full force of the plant. By the time I got him lose, Commander Riker and Lieutenant Data came through the clearing. Data helped pull him out and that was when we beamed directly to Sickbay."

Natalie walked up to his side and held his hand, "Why does he always have to be a hero. What an idiot!" She looked up and asked, "Aunt Beverly, will he be alright?"

"I believe he will return back to full health. Thank goodness I have the antidote to the TomTak plant."

Data spoke up, "The Tomtak plant is banned in Federation Space, how is it you have the antidote, Doctor?"

"I have been studying its affect on the Bezonine aliment. My study has only been somewhat effective. My question is, how did the Tomtak plant, a plant derived from Romulus, end up on a planet in Federation space?"

Riker said, "One question that we will be looking into more deeply. Thank you, Doctor. I have to make my report, if you'll excuse me." Beverly just nodded. "And, if you could update me on his condition as soon as you can." Again, she just nodded.

Everyone grew silent, just watching the doctor work on her patient. Once she fixed his arm, then she moved onto his head injuries. The damage to his head was a lot less serious than his arms. After a couple minutes, Data excused himself saying that he was needed back on the bridge.

"Doctor, I must beseech you-"

"Worf, I swear if I hear you ask me to clear you to go to the bridge, I will sedate you. Now hold tight, I am almost finished with Ensign Rowels." Beverly administered the vaccine to the young man and then watched his vitals. Worf was smart enough not to comment any further. Beverly whispered, "I just hope we got all the wounds covered. If not then there is a chance he will die." After five minutes, his vitals began to get stronger. "It worked! He should be able to recover fully." She smiled at Natalie and then turned to Worf, "Now let me look at your head and arm." She made sure he was not infected and then patched him up. "Alright Mr. Worf you are cleared for duty, you may return to the bridge."

Worf jumped off the bed and said, "Thank you doctor, for everything. I will come by after my shift to see how Ensign Rowels is doing."

Beverly just nodded her head and smiled. Natalie spoke up in a quiet voice, "So he is really going to make it?"

"Yes he is. I don't allow anyone to die under my watch." She looked up from her PADD to see that Natalie was looking at David with tears in her eyes. "For a person to claim that she hates his guts, you seem pretty fond of him."

"I guess he was just trying to look out for me, but Aunt Beverly he has been hurt, and I wish that on no one."

"Okay, okay, I will be in my office. If anything happens let me know immediately."

"I will Aunt Bev." She looked down and squeezed David's hand tighter. Beverly smiled and walked back into her office.

A couple minutes later, the Captain came into Sickbay. At first he had to do a double take to see that his mind wasn't playing tricks. He walked up to where Natalie was standing. "How is he holding up?"

"Aunt Beverly says he will be fine."

Jean Luc nodded his head, "Hmm… and where is Beverly right now?"

"In her office."

Again, he nodded and then turned around and walked to her office. He walked through the doors and quietly said, "Doctor, how is Ensign Rowels?"

She looked up from her computer and sighed dramatically. "He will be alright. Thank goodness I had the vaccine to administer."

Jean Luc sat in the chair across from Beverly. "I heard that there was a Tomtak plant on the surface. We will be looking into how the plant was placed there in the first place. How much of the vaccine do you have on stock?"

"Not very much. Starfleet medical gave me just enough to run my experiments. I think I have just enough to fill 3 hyposprays. That's not a lot of people."

"Can you give the vaccine to an away team before they transport down?"

"No, the vaccine can be toxic if given without the Tomtak poison in their system. Captain, I my professional opinion, you should eradicate the Tomtak plant as soon as possible."

"That possibility might be the best one yet, but we have to make sure that there are no more on the planet." Beverly just nodded. He looked out the window and whispered, "You know your niece seems taken with the young boy."

"Yes, well, she was here when they brought him in. I guess she feels bad now for being mean to him." She sighed, "Alas, another Howard trait, using our mouths before our brains."

"So will she be working here during her voyage?"

Beverly nodded her head, "Depending on her school schedule. I thought it would give her something to do. She is very kind to the patients and I could use her help. But having her work here comes at a price."

"Like?"

"Like having to tell her how we first met." She leaned in on her elbows and grinned.

Jean Luc made the same move, "And are you going to tell her **everything**?"

Beverly looked surprised, "Well of course Jean Luc." Then she winked at him. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have some reports to fill out."

"Same here Doctor. If his condition changes please let me know."

"Will do."

Jean Luc got up and walked out of Sickbay. Beverly smiled and then got back to work.

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**Next chapter; Natalie finds out how Jean Luc and Beverly met!**

**Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! Thanks for all of the reviews! Hope ya'll enjoy!**

**P.S. There is one little, itty, bitty bad word in this chapter! Hope you don't mind! :P**

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By the end of her shift, Ensign Rowels still hadn't woken. Beverly wasn't worried but just as a precaution she told the incoming doctor to let her know when he did wake up. She walked up to Natalie, who was asleep next to David, and gently stirred her. "Natalie, my shift is over. Why don't you get up and have dinner with me."

"What if he-"

"I already told the doctor to contact me if he wakes. Let's go, you need some rest as well." She helped her niece up, who didn't resist. They walked out of Sickbay and to Beverly's quarters in a comfortable silence. Once they entered her quarters, Natalie instantly went to the sofa while Beverly went to the replicator to make their food. After dinner was placed on the table, Natalie walked up and sat down next to her aunt. They each got their plates and started to eat. "So, did you like being in Sickbay?"

Natalie shrugged her shoulders, "It was alright. I'm glad I was there when David came in. Oh, Captain Picard came in looking for you. Did he find you?"

"Yes he did. He was there to check up on Ensign Rowels."

"He must really care about his crew."

"Very much. Do you think you would like to work in Sickbay?"

"For some reason I think I will. I really like talking to people. All my friends tell me that I am easy to talk to."

"I should let you work with Counselor Troi. She is the ships counselor and a psychologist. She likes to talk to people too."

Natalie started to pick at her potatoes, "I was going to take some classes in psychology, but after mom dying and Jonathon, I didn't have the heart."

"I can understand with your mom dying but what happened with Jonathon?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "He told me that I was too stupid to get in such a field." Her hair hid her face and embarrassment. "I know what you are going to say Aunt Beverly, I should have never listened to him, but something in my head did. He wasn't the jackass for saying those things; I am for listening to him."

Beverly sighed, "Well, you are far away from him now. You can do anything you want; we have a lot of resources here on the ship." She grabbed her hand and gently squeezed it. "Now don't you ever let a man dictate to you what you can and cannot do. If they do, then fuck'em, you don't need them."

Natalie laughed. "I'll keep that in mind Aunt Beverly. So how did you and the Captain meet?"

"Seriously, are you ever going to stop asking that question?"

"Only when you answer it."

"Fine I will tell you how we met when we finish dinner."

Natalie scarffed her food down and then said with a mouth full, "Done. Now can you tell me the story?"

"I said when **we** finished, as in me and you. Why do you want to know the story so badly?"

When she swallowed the final bits of her food, she said, "Just by looking at you two, I can tell that there is an interesting story between the both of you. Plus it seems like you know what I just went through with Jonathon. It would be nice to have someone talk about it with who knows what I am going through."

Beverly stared at her niece and then finished her dinner. Once she put the dishes away she said, "Well, might as well get comfortable, it's going to be a long story." They walked to the sofa and sat down. Beverly sat for a couple minutes without saying anything. She sighed, "I guess I will just start from the beginning."

"That's usually a good place to start a story." Beverly's lips tightened till they were a thin line. Natalie leaned against the sofa and quietly said, "Okay, no more noise from the peanut gallery."

"Well it started with a boy I was dating from Avada III. His name was Franklin and I thought he was he was so cool. Every girl wanted to date him but he asked me out. He was the perfect gentleman, not to mention he was a really great lo… I mean kisser." Beverly looked away.

Keeping her word Natalie didn't say anything, but her face was turning red with trying not to laugh.

Beverly went on, "Soon, we were in love with each other. I couldn't get enough of him in my life. It was like he was the only thing that mattered to me. Then all of a sudden this dream world I thought I had with Franklin was crushed. He started to slap me around. At first I didn't know what to think. After he would do it, he would apologize profusely and tell me that he would never do it again. Every single time he said that, I believed him." Just like Natalie, Beverly hung her head with her hair hiding her face.

"Soon Nana started to notice the bruises and boy did she get mad. She told me that if I continued to see him, she would disown me. She was the closest person in my life so I broke it off with him. Without her support, I would have never made it. I started to change back to my old happy self. Don't get me wrong, Franklin fought for me with tooth and nail. One day I occurred to me that he was acting just like an idiot."

Beverly crossed her legs on the couch, "A month later I was off to Earth to join Starfleet. I had left him behind or at least I thought I did. The first full night there, I went out to this bar that my roommate liked to go to. We were having a couple beers when I saw Franklin walk through the doors. He grabbed me by my elbow and made a spectacle in front of everyone. I was so embarrassed but I couldn't do anything about. He was calling me every name under the sun and then he was about to hit me. I closed my eyes but the slap never came. I thought he had backed down, that he was a changed man. I opened my eyes and saw Jean Luc punching him in the gut." Beverly took a breath and smiled. "After he kicked out Franklin, he came up to me with a big grin on his face like he accomplished something great, like he should be crowned a damn hero."

"Is that when you started being friends?"

"No, I punched that stupid grin off of his face. I was so mortified that he had to take care of my mess that I was angry with him. After punching him, I ran out. I didn't hear from him after that until I saw him at a party. We had a heart to heart after drinking a lot of alcohol. We became friends after that."

"So you guys have never been together, like together together?"

"Are you asking if we had a relationship; no, we have just been friends ever since."

"I find that hard to believe, but for now I will take it as is. Did Uncle Jack know what happened?"

Beverly bit her lip, "No he didn't know, but it was my decision not to tell him."

Natalie took a while to ask her next question. "Are you in love with the Captain?"

"Dr. Patterson to Dr. Crusher."

Beverly silently thanked the higher powers to be. "Crusher here. Is Ensign Rowels awake?"

"Yes he is. Would you like me to inform Captain Picard?"

"Please do, I will be there in a couple minutes. Crusher out."

Natalie was already next to the door when Beverly stood up. They walked to Sickbay in silence; however this one was a little bit more awkward. Before they walked in, Natalie grabbed Beverly and said, "Thanks for telling me Aunt Beverly. I know it was probably uncomfortable for you. Just to let you know though, you're not off the hook with my last question. I will be expecting an answer."

Beverly was stunned into stillness by her niece's comment. It wasn't until a comforting hand on her shoulder shook her out of her silence. It was Jean Luc. "Beverly, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

She shook her head in confusion, "Oh, I'm alright. Natalie and I just had a moment."

Jean Luc tugged on his shirt. "Did you tell her the… umm… story?" She nodded her head. "And?"

"And… and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was an interesting conversation to say the least." She smiled, "Ensign Rowels is awake." Captain Picard stood to the side so that Beverly could walk into Sickbay and then he stepped in himself.

They walked over to where the ensign was laying. Natalie was already by his side rubbing his arm. Jean Luc patted him on the shoulder. "How are you doing Ensign?"

"I'm doing good thanks to Doctor Crusher here."

Beverly smiled, "Well, I only gave you the vaccine, Natalie here stayed with you."

David looked over at Natalie, who was blushing. He looked down with his own blush creeping onto his face. He placed his hand over hers and whispered, "Thank you Natalie. I am forever in your debt."

She stared at their clasped hands, "Well I guess we are just even stevens." They smiled at each other.

Jean Luc coughed, "Well Ensign Rowels, we are glad you are healthy. After Doctor Crusher has cleared you for duty, I expect your report as soon as possible."

"Aye, Sir." His eyes never left Natalie.

Jean Luc looked at Beverly and grinned. He nodded his head and said, "Doctor, I look forward to your report as well." He turned and walked out of Sickbay. Beverly shook her head as she grinned and walked to her office.

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**Next chapter something goes wrong with the Captain!**

**Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, hello! I know it has been a long time since I last posted, sorry about that! **

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A couple days later, Ensign Rowels was cleared and fit for duty. When the turbolift doors opened, he stepped out onto the bridge. Worf, who was at his usual tactical station, turned to him and nodded his head, "Nice to see you back on the bridge, Ensign."

"Thank you, Sir. I'm glad to be back." He smiled and then walked down to the captain. He saluted and said, "Ensign Rowels reporting for duty."

Jean Luc nodded his head. "Good, I'm glad. You are going back down to the surface and I will be accompanying you."

Before David could say anything, Riker spoke up. "Captain, you should not be the one going down there. We don't know if the Tomtak plants have been eradicated. Clearly, Sir, it's too dangerous for you to be down there."

The Captain raised his eyebrows. "Number One, I will not be going down to the planet by myself. I will have Ensign Rowels here. Plus Dr. Crusher will be there just in case one of us gets infected."

"I still don't approve of you going down there."

"Your objection will be noted in the log. Ensign Rowels and Data; your with me." The three men walked to the turbolift. "Number One, you have the bridge." The doors closed.

.:.

"Aunt Beverly, this is crazy. Why did he choose David to go with him?" Natalie was watching her Aunt Beverly pack up her medi-kit. She slammed her fist down in frustration. "Aunt Beverly! Stop!"

She put her kit down and looked at her niece. "They are not my orders. I am going down to make sure no one gets hurt. We will be down there for no than a couple hours. I promise if anything happens, you will know first."

"You won't have to let me know since I am coming with you."

Beverly looked at her niece, "No you will not. If you try to go down there, I will have you confined to your quarters."

Natalie opened her mouth to argue back but then she closed it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Aunt Beverly, I just got started liking David." She looked down. "Please come back safely."

Beverly placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We will. Now why don't you wait in-"

"Picard to Crusher. We are waiting for you in transporter room 3."

She tapped her communicator, "I'm on my way, Captain. Crusher out." She turned back to her niece and quietly said, "I'll let you know when we are back." She smiled and then turned on her heels and left.

.:.

Captain Picard was finishing up his plant analysis. He looked over to Data and asked, "Mr. Data, have you finished you analysis on the soil?"

"Yes, Sir, the soil is clear of the Tomtak poison. We have put in the Tomturn into the soil to neutralize it in case it comes into contact with the Tomtak plant again."

"Good job. Let's rendezvous with the rest of the away team and get the hell off of this planet." Jean Luc started walking through the brush.

"Aye, Captain. The away team is located about 2 kilometers west." He noticed that the captain was walking that way, so he followed him through the brush. When they came to the clearing, they saw David scanning the area with his tricorder and Beverly packing up her medical kit. Just as the Captain was about to tap his communicator, Data heard something in the distance. "Sir, I believe I hear voices approximately 23 kilometers away. It sounds human."

Picard tapped his communicator, "Transporter room, four to beam up right away."

"Aye, Sir." After a couple of seconds the transporter chief said, "Sir, I can't get a lock on you. Can you move to a less dense area of trees?"

"We are in a clearing of the forest…" Picard heard movement from the overgrown bushes a couple feet away from him. Then out of nowhere, everything went black.

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**In the next chapter, we find out what has happened to the crew!**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hope this is still interesting! Let me know! Again, if the lingo isn't matching up, shoot me a message!**

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"How the hell did you lose their signal? They were just there a second ago." Riker shouted into the air. He began to pace around the bridge.

The transporter chief said, "Sir, we are trying everything we can, but because of the dense population of the forest, we were never able to lock onto their signal in the first place."

"Let me know when you have something. Riker, to Engineering. Geordi, is there any way to boost more power to the transporters?"

"We are pulling from anywhere we can get to give to the transporters. Let me see if I can remotely make their transporting coordinates stronger."

Riker hung his head in defeat, "Okay, let me know if you have anything."

Worf turned to the acting Captain, "Sir, I suggest we beam down and look for the Captain and the rest of the crew."

He sighed, "You know as well as I that it's too dangerous. If they can't get back, what makes you think we can get back too?"

"Then I suggest we take a shuttle down-" Something at his station beeped. "Sir, an incoming message from… the Romulans?" Worf look up with confusion. "I detected no Romulans here."

He walked down to his chair and said, "Shields up, red alert! Mr. Worf put the message through."

A picture showed up on the screen. The Romulan who occupied it had a different uniform on than the usual. He grinned and said, "Greetings Enterprise. I am Domtuk. No use trying to trace us, we are too far away. We have your beloved Captain and the rest of the crew that was down on the planet. The only way to get them back is to go to the Forthum planet in Romulan space and destroy their outpost. If it's not done in 48 Earth hours, then we will kill your crew members, starting with your Captain." The screen went blank.

Riker just sat there, dumbfound at what was just said. He coughed and grimly said, "Mr. Worf, contact Starfleet. Ensign Granger, set coordinates to the edge of the neutral zone at warp 3. Once I get word from Starfleet, we will go in."

Ensign Granger said in a shaky voice, "Aye, Sir." She pressed the appropriate buttons and they started to move.

Riker tapped his communicator, "Riker to LaForge, we will be moving to the edge of the Neutral zone. Be advised."

"But, Sir, what about the away team?"

"They aren't down there. Conference in 10 minutes." He tapped his communicator and looked over to Deanna. "Could you sense anyone down there?"

She shook her head, "Just the away team. But it is possible that they closed off their minds or they were cloaked." She laid a comforting hand on his arm, "We will get them back."

"I sure hope so." He bowed his head in thought.

.:.

Captain Picard woke to a splitting headache. He lifted his upper body up with one hand and rubbed the sleep out of his eye with the other. He took a look at his surroundings. Everything was cold and dark, but with padding all around; almost like a makeshift prison cell. He looked over to the bed to find Data. He immediately got up but had to sit back down due to the dizziness. He shook his head to rid of the sickness. As hard as he tried, it just made it worse. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Captain. That could make it worse."

Jean Luc looked over to the door to find a Romulan on the other side of it. "And why should I trust you?"

"Because I am the one who administered it to you."

"What did you give me? It is making my head… unclear."

The Romulan smiled, "Fogmagul, it is a mild sedative. It was used on your entire team."

"My team? Where are they? I only see Commander Data here. Where is Ensign Rowels and Dr. Crusher?

"The boy is being used for a little science project to our investor. As for the woman and the girl-"

"What girl? There was no girl down there with us." He stood up, albeit a little shaky, and walked to the door. "If you hurt any one of my people, I will make sure that you pay for it dearly."

The Romulan dramatically sighed. He stretched his arms like he was getting bored with the conversation. "Listen, Picard, I hope your first officer does what he is told. If he doesn't then the girl will be the first to go."

"Damn it, what girl?"

"I don't bother myself with names, but if you must know, the daughter to this Dr. Crusher."

Jean Luc stiffened, "What do you mean daughter?"

The Romulan shrugged his shoulders and off-handedly said, "The woman and the girl resemble each other very well." He turned around and left without saying another word.

Jean Luc was left to himself in a pondering silence.

.:.

"Aunt Beverly? Aunt Beverly? Wake up!"

Beverly shook her head. "Can't I have 5 more minutes Nana?"

"Aunt Beverly, it's not Nana, it's Natalie."

Beverly turned over on her side and said, "Oh Natalie, be a doll and let me sleep for another 5 minutes." Then for some reason, she couldn't get comfortable. She opened her eyes and saw that she was lying on the ground; a very cold and dark ground. "Natalie, where are we at? I remember that I was somewhere with some other people."

"I have been trying to wake you up for the past 15 minutes! We were on the planet Flotim and we-"

"Like hell **we** were! You were told to stay on the ship. Now I remember, I was down on the planet to make sure no one got hurt. Let see, I was with Data… Ensign Rowels and…" Beverly gasped, "oh my goodness, the Captain. We have to go find him!" She started to get up but suddenly stated to feel dizzy. She grabbed her head and sat down on a hard platform. "I wonder what they gave us."

"I'm not sure Aunt Beverly." Natalie sat down right next to her Aunt. "But I don't think I got as much as you. I feel a little dizzy and it didn't take me that long to regain consciousness."

Beverly turned to face her niece. She grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Why were you down on the planet? I told you to stay on the ship."

"Well, I didn't want just wait there, you know patients isn't in our genes." Beverly slowly nodded. "And… I didn't want Jonathan to show up and hurt you or David or the Captain."

"What the hell does Jonathon have to do with any of this?" Beverly couldn't help but scream.

"Oh has Natalie not told you yet?" Beverly didn't recognize that voice, but by the look on Natalie's face, she did. "I gave your whereabouts to the Romulan defectors. I needed to find Natalie and why not use the Romulans to do it." Beverly turned around to see a handsome man behind the icy blue force field. He smiled at her and said, "It is very nice to meet you Dr. Crusher, however I can't say that I've heard a lot about you."

Beverly stood up to block Natalie, "You stay away from Natalie. You don't deserve to be around her."

Jonathon slammed his fist against the wall, "I can be around anyone I want!" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Dr. Crusher, no one is going to stand in the way of our love." There was a wild look in his eyes. "I f they do, I promise I will kill him."

Natalie ran around her aunt and yelled, "No!" She tried to go through the force field with no luck. "You touch him; I swear I will never love you again."

"Well, we are just going to have to wait and see. Have a good night ladies." He waved and then turned around. He left the room without a glance back.

Natalie turned to her aunt, "Oh, Aunt Beverly…" She ran into her aunts arms, where she cried on her shoulder.

All Beverly could do was to comfort her niece until she could find out more information about the ship they were on.


End file.
